The Transfer Tavern

Tottenham Hotspur have been on cloud nine this week following their qualification to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Spurs stayed true to form in the Nou Camp as they made life more difficult than they needed it to be for themselves by missing a collection of glorious chances. In many ways matchday six served as a microcosm of their entire campaign so far, with wastefulness and a toothless edge once again preventing them from collecting all three points.

But the 1-1 draw with Barcelona was still an achievement in itself, especially considering the manner in which they dominated proceedings at times. The problem for Daniel Levy now is that interest from Real Madrid may well intensify as a consequence of Pochettino’s success in Spain this week.

Well, that’s exactly what Levy is expecting to happen, according to the Daily Telegraph, and he is bracing himself for a battle to keep the Argentine in the hotseat at the end of the season.

But the same report heavily implies that Levy will try to keep Pochettino by delving into the market to sign a new midfield lynchpin: ‘Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will do everything he can to keep Pochettino and the club could provide Everton with competition to sign midfielder Andre Gomes from Barcelona.’

Gomes has made a seamless transition to life in English football, and it’s no surprise to hear that Tottenham have taken a keen interest in his development. His performances in Everton’s midfield have been outstanding, with his creative tendencies and slick passing forming the pillars of his success.

But if Levy wants to woo Pochettino with new signings he is going to need to aim significantly higher than Gomes. The Portugal international, despite his obvious quality, is not the kind of marque signing which Levy needs to convince both Pochettino and the supporters that he is willing to take risks in Tottenham’s bid to reach the next level.

Gomes would be a fantastic acquisition for Tottenham, particularly given the uncertainty over Mousa Dembele’s future, but he is not of the game-changing calibre to give Pochettino another reason to stay at the club.

Pochettino may well not need convincing to stay as there is certainly plenty of reason for him to remain at Spurs but, if he is indeed craving the addition of talented new players, Levy will have to do much more than merely landing Gomes in 2019.